Protesters storm government buildings in Yerevan as Pashinian concedes defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh war with Azerbaijan

Russia's Putin and PM Mishustin launch government reshuffle

Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin's recommendations for a slew of government changes have been agreed by President Putin on November 9.

Armenian PM agrees deal to end Karabakh war after rapid Azerbaijani advance

Baku’s forces confirm capture of Shusha and seemed poised to move on to main city Stepanakert.

Azerbaijan shoots down Russian helicopter over Armenia killing two servicemen

Baku reportedly apologises, says it was an accident. Aircraft brought down with shoulder-launched missile near Azerbaijani border while fighting continued to rage over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan, Armenia ‘close to striking meaningful ceasefire’, Baku claims capture of Shusha

Truce would reportedly require Armenia to cede large chunk of territory while placing Turkish and Russian peacekeeping mission in area.

Russia’s Watcom shopping index continues to slide as coronavirus second wave gathers momentum

Russia’s Watcom shopping index continued to slide in the last weeks of October and first week of November after almost recovering over the summer as the second wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Russia gathers pace.

CEE Banking Sectors: In crisis and recovery mode at the same time

There is positive news for all Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) commercial bankers, market observers and investment bankers. The fresh 2020 CEE Banking Report by Raiffeisen Research paints an encouraging picture of banking in CEE.

Karabakh war “may be moving towards potentially bloody battle for city of Shusha” says analyst

Azerbaijani forces reported to be 3-4 km from mountain fortress city of great symbolic cultural significance to Baku.

Russia blames coronavirus spike on return of holidaymakers from Turkey

No data available from UK on how many virus cases it “imported” after opening Turkish tourism corridor despite many warnings Ankara’s pandemic data was flawed.

Russian online economy is booming

Russia’s online economy is booming and no one has really noticed. The traditional economy will be badly hurt this year by the multiple crises, but online sales have only accelerated. Russia's New Economy has reached critical mass.

Russian tech deals galore

As Russia’s new economy comes of age it seems there is a new deal announced on a daily basis as the leading companies snap up start-ups or rivals in the rush to build an ecosystem that covers all of life’s needs and wants.

Russia’s October services PMI records sharpest decline in business activity since the start of the pandemic

The unexpected economic slowdown that started at the end of September delivered another surprise after IHS Markit reported the biggest drop in the Russia Services Business Activity PMI Index, which tumbled from 53.7 to 46.9 in October.

Armenians flee fighting in Karabakh

About 40,000 civilians have fled from Karabakh into Armenia, where they are being accommodated in schools, hotels and volunteers’ homes.

COMMENT: The problems with sanctions

On October 23 the United States imposed sanctions on a Russian government research institute for its links to malware used to target critical infrastructure. The trouble is sanctions have largely failed to force the Kremlin to change its ways

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict shelling of civilians could amount to war crimes says UN human rights chief

Armenia’s PM, meanwhile, calls for international investigation into presence of “foreign mercenaries” in Azerbaijan’s ranks after ethnic Armenian forces say they captured two fighters from Syria.

Russia’s manufacturing PMI sinks for the second month in a row as economy continues to slow

The slowdown that started in September slowed some more in October as the IHS Markit Russia Manufacturing PMI dropped again to 46.9 at the start of the fourth quarter, from 48.9 in September.

Below average 2020 wine production destined for volatile and uncertain global market

First estimates from OIV show drought hitting the grape crops in countries such as Romania and Moldova, while others like Hungary and Russia managed to boost production.

Azerbaijan’s next move awaited as its troops close on Nagorno-Karabakh’s second largest city

Analyst warns Stepanakert could “become like another Sarajevo”.

Russia's MegaFon invests in satellite network to provide internet access from space

Leading Russian mobile phone operator MegaFon is investing in a project that will provide planet-wide data access to on-the-ground users from low-Earth orbit satellites.

The coronacrisis has cost Russian companies $47bn rubles in lost profits this year

The coronacrisis has cost Russian companies RUB3.8 trillion ($47bn) in lost profits this year as of August this year, according to the latest data available.